How to Tie a Turban

I’ve tried finding about the sunnah of turbans on the internet. I found many sites talking about the virtues of the amamah, but could you please tell me how to actually tie one.

Answer:

Assalaamu ‘Alaikum,

There are several styles of tying the turban of which I am familiar with four.

Firstly, we should note, as you mentioned there are many hadiths dealing with the virtue of wearing a turban (although, I believe non have reached the level of Sahih, however, it is established that the turban was the sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah upon him and his family). The term you must come familiar with is the adthabah, or tail, referring to the ends of the turban. This will come up in most styles of tying the turban.

Style 1, 2: Tail hanging over the back or right shoulder, or 2 tails, one over the right shoulder and the other over the back.

The most common you probably have seen worn is the style favored by Tablighi Jamat and those of India/Pakistan. This is with either one or both adhabah, hanging over the right shoulder or between the shoulder blades down the back.

You tie this by holding one adhabah of the turban clenched between your teeth (I have always favored turbans about 5 ft. in length, although you could choose one longer or shorter depending upon your preference). The adhabah should hang over the right shoulder and will be about 1.5 ft in length. You then take the other end and bring it behind your head over your right shoulder (you should have on a good sturdy kufi that won’t slip). You then cross it over the front of your head near the middle of the kufi and begin winding it around the head in a criss cross manner. You can keep either the turban flat, or round it, depending on what style you favor. When you get to the end, you simply tuck the remaining adhabah into the folds of the turban. Note: in the beginning it will take a lot of practice to determine the length of the first adhabah that is appropriate for the size of turban you are wearing and the size of your head. It takes a lot of patient practice and consistancy to get it right.

After this, you let the adhabah you were holding in your teeth out, and simply pull it to the back if you want it to hang there, or you can leave it where it was if you want it to hang over the right shoulder.

Style 2: if you want 2 adhabahs, simply shorten the first adhabah when beginning to tie your turban, and when you get to the final wrap, the second adhabah should end near the back of the head. Simply tuck a small part of the adhabah, and the rest of it will drape over the back so that you have 2 tails, insha’Allah.

Style 3: No adhabah

This is the style favored by Northern and Central Moroccans. This is accomplished by holding the first adhabah over the forehead with the right hand, and begin wrapping the adhabah around the head and bring it over the adhabah. Then continue to wrap it until you get to the end and then simply tuck it.

Style 4: The Muhaniq

This is the style favored by North Africans bordering the Sahara, and those of all of West Africa. It is the style I personally favor and is the style favored by Imam Malik and today’s Malikis as well as the Hanabali madhab.

This style is a bit more complex but can be achieved with a lot of practice. Firstly, again the adhabah is clenched in the teeth over the right shoulder. For this style, you will probably need a bit more turban material, i.e. 7 or 8 ft.

After holding the adhabah, you bring the turban over your the top of your kufi and bring it under the chin (the haniq, thus the name of the turban style and those who wear it)and over the head again with the adhabah still clenched in the teeth and it is over the part under the chin. At this point there is a meeting of the turban over the top of your head.

You then carefully begin to wrap the turban. When you get to the end, you tuck the remaining adhabah into the fold of the turban.

You next, release the adhabah in your teeth and tuck it under the part of the turban under the chin and pull. You then push the front of the turban up slightly to reveal your forehead (important in the Maliki madhab to have a valid salat). Next, pull down slightly on the part of the turban draped under the chin. Finally, pull at the back part of the draped part and pull to the back of the head to close off that which is exposed in the back.

You will notice that the front is draping slightly over the mouth which is natural.

Finally, when choosing material I recommend cotton gauze since it is the softest cotton and I found the easiest to work with. It is light, so you may want to experient with other types of cotton. But remember, it takes a lot of practice and consistant wearing to get it right. May Allah reward you for striving to

ekhlas

"Sincere devotion [ekhlas] means that the actions of the servant [of the Lord] are of the same quality on the outside [zahir] and the inside [batin]."

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“The ailment of the body is in sickness and that of the heart is in sins. A delicious meal cannot benefit the body when the person is sick and likewise, the heart cannot taste the sweetness of worship if it is full of sins.”